The invention relates to containers. More particularly, the invention relates to pour spouts for containers for liquid laundry detergent and the like.
There has been an evolution in the configuration of containers for liquid laundry detergent, fabric softener, and the like. The dominant form of container is a wide mouth bottle having an attached spout with a drain-back trough and aperture. In a typical group of container configurations and their methods of assembly, a bottle, spout fitment, and cap are individually molded (e.g., of high density polyethylene (HDPE)). Exemplary bottle molding is via roto-molding whereas exemplary spout fitment and cap molding are by injection molding. An exemplary spout fitment includes the spout and a continuation of the spout defining the base and outboard wall of the trough. The fitment further typically includes a flange (e.g., extending outward at an upper end of the outboard extremity of the trough).
The spout fitment may be inserted through a mouth of the bottle (e.g., so that an outer surface of the outboard trough wall whereof another wall outboard thereof engages the inner surface of the bottle neck). The spout fitment may be secured and sealed to the bottle such as by spin welding. The bottle may be filled and the cap may be installed. Exemplary caps typically have either an externally threaded skirt for engaging an internally threaded portion of the fitment or an internally threaded skirt for engaging an externally threaded portion of the fitment or bottle neck. With a typical externally threaded skirt, the cap includes an outwardly projecting flange above the skirt. Upon installation of the cap to the fitment, the flange underside contacts and seals with the fitment flange upper surface to seal the bottle.
Various examples of bottles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,923,341, 5,941,422, 5,566,862, and 5,603,787.